HOLLYWOOD -- Tiki Barber, who played for Sean Payton and beside Jeremy Shockey, said the then-New York Giants offensive coordinator and then-New York Giants tight end had tangible simpatico.

"It was great," said Barber of Payton's working relationship with Shockey, traded to the New Orleans Saints on Monday. "Sean has an ability (to find) the strengths of his players.

"He made me a star, basically, by saying, 'Don't put Tiki between the tackles. Let's do some misdirection so he can get outside and trick some people.' With Jeremy, it's, 'What's he good at? He's fast, so he's a mismatch for a linebacker. He's strong and big, so he's a mismatch for a safety. So let's put him in the slot and let him run some routes every now and then.' He thrived in (Payton's) offense.

"I think of late with the Giants, that's been his rub. He hasn't been out to catch a pass. He hasn't been put in his most advantageous situations, and injuries have been killing him every year. It's almost a product of his own success, because he became a hell of a blocker. People don't talk about this stat, but when he went out last year, the Giants went from 4.5 yards a carry to 3.5, because he was so good at that."

Barber, who attended the last day of the July TV Tour to participate in a season-preview panel of NBC "Sunday Night Football" personalities, said the Saints player who should most celebrate Shockey's arrival is celebrity video-game enthusiast Reggie Bush.

"I think he'll help Reggie, because Reggie is the same kind of runner that I was," Barber said. "He needs to get to the edge, and Jeremy's good at getting to the defensive linebacker or defensive end and cutting him off so you can run off his hip. So he'll be good in that regard, but also I think Sean is a pass-happy guy, and I think having Jeremy, in addition to (Marques) Colston and David Patten and those other guys, you have a potent passing offense. Reggie can catch, too.

"I think it's a good marriage, because Sean will know how to use (Shockey) and keep him happy.

Rusty Costanza / The Times-Picayune"Sean has an ability (to find) the strengths of his players," said Tiki Barber, who played for Sean Payton and beside Jeremy Shockey on the New York Giants.

"(Payton) is no-nonsense. I remember one time we had a meeting and he said to me, 'Tiki, you're so bored in this meeting, it's killing me. What do I have to do to keep you from being bored?' You respect that straightforwardness. He develops an understanding of what makes a guy thrive."

Barber also said not to worry about Shockey's propensity for hell-raising, both off the field or in sports-page quotations.

"He was the consummate professional in the locker room and on the practice field," Barber said. "He never took a day off in practice. He practices hard, he plays hard, he parties hard, he lives hard. That's just the way he lives his life. He's kind of a throwback -- 15-20 years ago, that's how players were."

No surprise, but John Madden most admires Shockey's blue-collar work ethic on the offensive line.

"(The trade) will help the Saints and I'll tell you why," said Madden, NBC's booth analyst, who also attended the tour. "Of all the stuff people talk about with Shockey, he's a good blocker. Tough guy, good blocker. He's a pass receiver, he can do all those things, but what I always liked is that he handle that defensive end. There's not a lot of tight ends that can do that."

NBC studio analyst Cris Collinsworth sounded less eager to see Shockey block than see him catch, run, score, spike and flex.

"They throw it more than anybody," Collinsworth said. "You've got Reggie, you've got Shockey, you've got some pretty good receivers out there, you've got a quarterback who's pretty good, an offense that's pretty good about distributing everything - to me (the trade) makes a lot of sense on a lot of fronts.

"For me the whole key to the season is if they get Deuce (McAllister) back or not. If Deuce is healthy, right now they're in contention for the Super Bowl."